Your future, our focus
POWELL, Wyo. - Critically acclaimed author and National Geographic field staff writer Mark Jenkins will talk Thursday, March 22, about his work researching land mines in Cambodia. The program begins at 4 p.m. in Room 70 of the Fagerberg Building at Northwest College.
Jenkins spent a month in Cambodia – crossing minefields, interviewing victims, and searching for Miss Landmine Cambodia – to write “The Healing Fields,” which appeared in the January 2012 issue of National Geographic.
His photo-illustrated presentation titled “The Healing Fields: The Legacy of War and the Search for Miss Landmine Cambodia” expands on his National Geographic story.
After 30 years of war, Cambodia was one of the most heavily mined countries on earth, but through progressive government programs and substantial foreign aid it has become the world’s leader in demining and victim rehabilitation.
According to Jenkins, there are tens of millions of landmines buried in over 80 countries around the world. Unlike bullets after a war ends, landmines are still alive, waiting to annihilate the legs of innocent farmers and shepherds.
A global journalist, Jenkins covers the world writing about geopolitical issues from HIV/AIDS in Botswana to ethnic cleansing in Burma and mountaineering in Pakistan.
He is the author of four books, most recently “A Man’s Life.” His other titles are “The Hard Way,” “To Timbuktu” and “Off the Map.”
In 2009, Jenkins won the National Magazine Award for his National Geographic story “Who Murdered the Mountain Gorillas.”
He’s been published in over 50 national and international magazines and newspapers, including The Atlantic Monthly, Bicycling, Backpacker, Conde Nast Traveler, GQ, Outside, Playboy, Sierra, Sports Afield, the Utne Reader and The Washington Post.
Jenkins has been interviewed by Anderson Cooper 360, Good Morning America, The Crier Report, CNN, PBS, BBC and NPR, and has also spoken on countless radio programs.
He’s currently a writer-in-residence at the University of Wyoming.
Jenkins’ presentation at Northwest College is part of the World to Wyoming Initiative 2012, a project of UW’s International Studies Lecture Series.
It’s sponsored by the UW International Studies Program, the UW Outreach School and Northwest College.
The program closes with a reception and refreshments.
Admission is free.
